CHAIR (Mrs Irwin) —Firstly, I apologise to everyone so far in attendance today that, due to the appalling weather in Sydney, cars, trains, buses and light aircraft—most probably—have been delayed. I welcome all witnesses and members of the public to the Petitions Committee hearing today into selected petitions. Under the rules of the House of Representatives, the Petitions Committee is required to consider if petitions comply with those rules. If so, the petition may then be presented to the House, and the committee may refer it to the relevant government minister for a response. We may also hold public hearings into petitions, allowing both principal petitioners and government agencies to consider further the concerns raised in petitions and the response made. Today we are hearing from principal petitioners or their representatives. So that we can all be clear about the procedures, the committee will follow today, I will just outline them briefly now. I will invite witnesses to come to the table in turn to answer our questions individually or as representatives of an organisation. As you can see, the committee’s proceedings are being recorded by Hansard.

[9.50 am]